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Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a quiet Thanksgiving with just the two of us this year. We're used to having two big meals with two sides of the family on Thanksgiving, so it was a lot different this year. I managed to make a full meal with all the trimmings in my tiny German oven. I'm so glad that Kyle didn't have to work!

Our menu was: brined roasted turkey breast, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato casserole, homemade noodles, green bean casserole, homemade rolls, and pumpkin pie. (I left out crabberries on purpose. Both of us take about one bite of them each year, so I thought it would be silly to have them!) Our oven is so small, that my roasting pan wouldn't fit! I ended up using a casserole dish. The turkey took up pretty much all of the space, so after it finished, I kept it warm while I was baking everything else.

Since we're not able to share a Thanksgiving meal with our families this year, we can at least post some of the things that we are very thankful for.

So first I'll state the obvious. We're so thankful to have such wonderful family (extended and immediate), on both sides! Our families truly love, support, and care for each other and actually enjoy being together. Our families even enjoy being with each other's families! How did we get so lucky??

Thanksgiving number one last year with Kyle's family

Thanksgiving number two last year with my family

We're very thankful for our awesome friends. Some that we've known forever, and also new friends. Life wouldn't be the same without them.

We're thankful that no matter where we head off, we have family and friends that will make the effort to come and visit us! I always look forward to our guests so much! I bet that even if we lived in Nebraska that they would still make the time to come and see us!

We're thankful for our dog, Gizmo. He's such a good, loyal little dog! He's well behaved, and a good traveler, which is a must for us! He's also the cutest dog ever!

Awwww, Gizmo!

We're thankful to have the opportunity to live in Germany. We are addicted to travel, and this is such a perfect place to be! We love the experiences of seeing so many places, and getting to know a new culture up close and personal. It can be frustrating and annoying at times, but mostly, it's amazing and so worth it.

We're thankful to be Hoosiers! I think that Hoosiers are extremely friendly and down to earth people. We've met so many people that have visited Indiana or know someone from Indiana, and so many of them say that they are some of the nicest people they've ever met. That's something to be proud of in my book! I think growing up in Indianapolis in particular gives kids the opportunity to live in a big enough city without the harshness of a huge city. People can give Indiana a lot of crap, but I would much rather be a warm and friendly person wearing pajama pants than a stuffy, arrogant person in an Armani suit and Burberry trench coat! (Just for the record, I personally do not wear pajama pants in public :-) I think for the most part, Hoosiers have their heads on straight!

Most importantly, we're thankful for our Lord and Savior that has blessed us endlessly. We know that as long as we keep our heads turned up towards Him, we do not have to worry.

I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving. We're sorry to miss out on the festivities in the States, but we'll have to make up for it when you all come over to visit!!